Heading into the Pacific Northwest this weekend, the Cal men’s soccer team stood at the crossroads of its season destiny. With four more weeks of play remaining, the Bears needed big performances in back-to-back tilts in order to vie for a slot in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
Yet Cal (7-5-1, 2-3 in the Pac-12) fell flat this weekend, splitting results at Washington and Oregon State. After falling by a golden goal to Washington in double overtime, the Bears defeated the Beavers, 3-1, on Sunday.
While the win against Oregon State snapped its three-match losing streak, Cal still lags behind No. 5 UCLA, Stanford and Washington in the Pac-12 standings. The Bears also lost to all three teams during the streak.
The Friday afternoon match against Washington at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle was a grinding stalemate from the start. The Huskies (9-3-2, 4-0-1) were the more aggressive players in the first half, outshooting Cal by an 8-2 margin.
The turning point came when Bears forward Stefano Bonomo was awarded two back-to-back yellow cards in the span of eight seconds. Without Bonomo — who leads the team in goals — at its disposal, Cal dug itself further in the defensive trench.
For the next 40 minutes, the Bears endured waves of Washington attacks. But two minutes from ending the match with a tie, midfielder Patrick Pacheco broke through and scored the match-winner.
“The team showed great resiliency the entire match,” Cal coach Kevin Grimes said. “We really deserved a tie.”
Two days later in Corvallis, Ore., the Bears couldn’t muster the same defensive concentration against Oregon State (6-5-2, 1-3-1) in the beginning minutes of the match.
In the 11th minute, the Cal defense coughed up the ball to the Beavers. Senior forward Emery Welshman, who led the conference with seven goals, capitalized on the blunder to give Oregon State the early lead.
But Cal rebounded in the next 10 minutes. Backup forwards Luis Fuentes and Michael Munoz, stepping in for the absent Bonomo, scored in the 15th and 20th minute respectively to give the Bears the 2-1 lead.
In the 48th minute, midfielder Tony Salciccia connected a cross with forward John Fitzpatrick to pad the lead. The Beavers’ offensive responses from then until the final whistle were futile; Oregon State only managed to get three shots off in the second half.
After a weekend of unfulfilled expectations, Cal’s postseason hopes look slim. To have a chance at the NCAAs, the Bears will need to win at least three of their five remaining matches.
But all is not gloom and doom for Grimes and his program. With the much-needed return of senior defender Ted Jones from injury, the defensive unit reverted back to its stable starting lineup.
“When you can add a player of Jones’ quality, it would lift any team,” Grimes said.
Seung Y. Lee covers men’s soccer. Contact him at [email protected]
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